The Seapine View

Surround SCM includes several user options that allow each user to optimize the way they use Surround SCM. While there can be a whole discussion about which options makes the most sense to have set as default, starting in 2011.1 you (as the administrator) will have more control on how these user options are set. Under Tools > Administration, you will find a new option named Default User Options. Here, you have three options for each user option:

• <no default>: Users already using Surround SCM will not see any changes, new users will have the defaults that ship with the product. This means no change from the way it currently works.
• Default: Users already using Surround SCM will not see any changes, new users will get this option as default.
• Required: This enforces the option for all users.

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Alan busting Agile myths

Last month, I gave a talk titled Only the Agile Survive: Understanding the Business Case for Agile (.pdf) during the PMI Southwest Ohio Chapter Mega Event. This was a great opportunity for me to return to my project management roots and have a discussion with my fellow PMI PMP’s about the relevance of Agile software development in today’s fast changing world. Special thanks to PMI SW OH for inviting me to speak!

In giving this talk, I realized that while we have come a long way since the 1990s when Agile practices were first introduced into software development, there is still much more work to do within the project management community. With the Scrum Alliance certifying thousands of Certified ScrumMasters (CSMs) and Certified Scrum Product Owners (CSPOs), and all the talk of the technical aspects and benefits of Agile software development, I believe the most alienated member of the Agile project team has been the veteran project manager. (I define the veteran project manager as someone with 10+ years experience and as having been traditionally trained as a PMP or Prince 2 project manager, with little or no exposure to Agile projects.)

Veteran project managers have become alienated because we emphasize the importance of being a generalist in an Agile world. Team members should be able to share the load and cover for each other so they can optimize the way they self-organize. (This is in stark contrast to a team of specialists, which has been the norm on traditional projects.) An Agile team is also responsible for managing their own work and updating their tasks accordingly. Additionally, for those practicing Scrum, the Product Owner handles budgets and much of the status reporting, while the Scrum Master facilitates the team’s success by removing obstacles. Veteran project managers will undoubtedly ask, “If someone from the development team is the facilitator, the team manages their own work, and the Product Owner watches the budget and reports status to senior management, then what is my role?”

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QA Wizard Pro 2011.1′s new Keyword View, which used to be named Grid View, makes much better use of screen real estate, groups statements for one window together, and allows for inline editing of statements. This video provides an overview of the new Keyword View features.

Seapine Solutions Evangelist, Peter Varhol, was recently interviewed about requirements traceability by Mike Lippis for the Outlook Series. The “Strengthened Traceability Drives Greater Quality & Communication” podcast is now available.

Peter and Mike discuss several aspects of requirements management, and why traceability is so important to the software development process these days. Following are a few interesting nuggets, if you don’t have time to listen to the 46-minute interview:

01:30 - Definition of requirements traceability

09:50 - How to make traceability automatic

21:55 - How to know if your traceability strategy measures up

30:00 - Information about managing requirements traceability with TestTrack

Have an opinion on traceability, or a story about how your team uses traceability to improve quality? We’d love to hear it—leave us a comment!

There were many updates to the blog in April. Here is our monthly recap:

Webinar Q&A: Understanding the Business Case for Agile- Includes Q&A from the ‘Only the Agile Survive’ webinar.

Using a QA Wizard Pro Regular Expression to Select a ComboBox Item – Explains how to use a QA Wizard Pro Regular Expression to select a ComboBox item, if you only know partial information.

Active Directory Integration Tips- Provides tips for streamlining user managements with Active Directory integration.

When should I start better managing my development artifacts? – Looks at a common question of start-up medical device and other regulated companies that want traceability, but don’t know when to start.

Webinar Recording: 5 Ways to Boost Enterprise Agility – Explains the various ways you can help boost your enterprise agility.

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Analyzing security group permissions in Surround SCM just got a whole lot easier, thanks to a new report available in the 2011.1 release. When you create a new report in Surround SCM, you now have the option of selecting Security Group on the Select Report Type window.

Select Report Type Window

This report allows you to report on all security groups or selected ones. The report lists all of the permissions and indicates if a permission is enabled for the security group. The mechanics of the report are similar to the TestTrack security group comparison report released last October.

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As I have worked with customers to implement our tools and improve current processes, one thing I have noticed is the use of modular tests. While the specific approach varies, these are tests that focus on a specific piece of functionality or contain a set of steps commonly used in the application being tested. Modular test cases are then reused and incorporated into longer test cases.

In this video, I provide an overview of modular test cases, the benefits, and how to manage them in TestTrack using the Share Steps feature, which is available in the 2011.1 release.